A reduction of 33 police officers in the Tweed-Byron Local Area Command has prompted Labor to ask Tweed MP Geoff Provest (Nationals) to explain why his government had overseen the reduction.
Labor say that NSW Police data indicates that since February 2012, the Tweed-Byron Local Area Command has suffered a reduction in police numbers by 33 police officers.
NSW Labor leader Luke Foley joined Federal MP for Richmond Justine Elliot and Shadow Minister for the North Coast Walt Secord and sent a joint press release on Monday claiming that in 2012, Tweed-Byron LAC police numbers were 198, but under the Berejiklian government, those number have dropped to 165.
New station
They say the drop in police numbers has occurred despite the official opening of the new Tweed Police Station and promises by Nationals Tweed MP Geoff Provest to increase police numbers.
Mrs Elliot called on Nationals Mr Provest to ‘stand up to his Sydney–centric Liberal-National government, which is spending $2.5 billion on Sydney stadiums instead of police officers in the Tweed.’
Nationals reply
Nationals Tweed MP Geoff Provest is chair of the committee on law and safety.
He told Echonetdaily that Labor were quoting old figures.
‘We announced Friday that Tweed will get five new probationary officers and that 400 new police are expected to join the force soon. I’m hopeful that some of those will be stationed in Tweed.’
Additionally Mr Provest says four new water police will soon be stationed in Tweed Shire, and they will command a 52 foot boat capable of a 100km range.
When asked about the lack of police stationed in Mullumbimby, Mr Provest said he wasn’t aware of that, but would take it up with the local area commander. ‘Policing has changed over the years,’ he said. ‘There is more mobile policing with highway patrols for example. Also, crime rate is at an all time low, and there is also a 87 per cent conviction rate, which indicates the police are doing their briefs well.’
It’s obvious that the Nationals Tweed MP Geoff Provest being the chair of the committee on law and safety is proving to be disappointing not only in his role as chair but on the motorway just Saturday gone at the exit ramp of the M1 & Waugh Street Chinderah, where chaos was displayed due to lack of police on the ground and the time it took to respond let alone the clean-up and inability to detour the traffic during a period of a good day.
Why? Simple… no resources available. Yes N.S.W. [Newcastle, Sydney & Wollongong] will always get the lion share of funding from the treasury, however does our politician do anything for the Tweed?
Where’s the recycling for bottles and bags, why is the M1 where the airfield at Coolangatta overpasses the M1 seems to be constantly at a speed for repair work between 60 – 80kph and yet the construction was completed approx. 2012, only five years ago?
The Nationals are becoming less relevant for the servicing of the Tweed which has now become more of suburbia than his rural beliefs. Could be the next election will see a more progressive representative for the Tweed who will act for the constituents of the whole of the tweed.